The One Who Noticed Them
by probablyawful
Summary: The New Directions individually remember Kurt's mom, and how she in just the blink of an eye made their lives just a little better. Rated T just to be safe. I might throw in some language, because it comes naturally to me.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay, so I have always wondered what kind of a woman Kurt's mother was, and I think that it's sad that the show hasn't really focused all that much on what kind of a woman she was. Well, however, here is my take on what kind of a woman she was – seen through the eyes of all the Glee kids.**

**There will be no long chapters in this fic, so don't keep your hopes up. Also, my writing is a bit off, because I haven't written anything fictional since I finished JTMYH, so that's where you have that.**

**Enjoy! :)**

**Prologue**

Elizabeth Hummel was a special woman in so many ways. She had the most intense charisma anyone in Lima had ever seen – especially from a person actually _living in Lima_. Seriously, living there didn't exactly do wonders for anyone's positive attitude.

One thing about Elizabeth Hummel was that she never seemed to complain about anything. She always seemed to be completely fine with her circumstances, even if she was living in Lima. She carried a positive attitude towards almost anything, and for as long as you behaved respectably towards her, she would behave respectably towards you. With a few exceptions mainly consisting of ignorant bigots, of course. She wasn't very tolerant towards them.

Everyone who met her felt like she gave them something.

So yes, Elizabeth Hummel never have turned 35 years old, but she changed more lives with her glowing personality and enchanting charisma than most people do in 100 years of living.

And after her death, the people whose lives she somewhat changed, wished that they had got the chance to tell her just how much she had meant to them.

But you know what they say; you don't know what you got until it's gone. And when Elizabeth Hummel lost the battle against cancer at 34 years old, she left behind a husband and an 8-year-old son. But she also left behind a bunch of other people, who wished they had told her just how much she helped them, but couldn't really find it in them to do so in her lifetime.

Not only because they didn't know her all that well, but also because those people weren't older than her own son at the time.

If there is one thing you can say about Elizabeth Hummel, it is that she noticed people, and she noticed things about people that few others, even if they happened to be related to them, noticed. She noticed that sometimes those who deserve help the least are the ones who need it the most, she noticed that sometimes those who put on a smile for everybody, are maybe those who are falling apart inside.

And she knew that hiding your true emotions in many cases could be an act of selflessness.

She saw people, even if they were only kids, and her wonderful lack of obliviousness would turn out to make a real impact before she left this earth at a much too young age.

**A/N: That's a wrap on the first chapter! Like I said, it isn't long like some of the other fics I've written, but next chapter will probably be a bit longer****.**


	2. Santana Lopez

**A/N: I figured I would just write a chapter for each character in a random order, but I will write Kurt last. Here comes the Santana chapter! I know I probably write her a little out of character, but she is six years old here, and for whatever reason, I picture Santana as a kid to be a very bright and outspoken child, if not a bit nosy.**

**Santana Lopez**

Santana Lopez was left in her grandmother's kitchen, crying. Usually people, in extreme times, say that there are no words to describe how they feel, when there actually are tons of words to describe those exact feelings they may or may not be feeling.

But this time, Santana Lopez truly meant it. Because how do you explain the feeling of having the one person you love and respect the most in this world, besides your girlfriend, solely walk away from you, leaving you crying in her absence?

Santana could simply only come up with one way to describe it: It was absolutely excruciating.

She had never lost someone who meant this much to her. The only time she could remember she even came close was when her aunt Gloria was killed in a car accident back when Santana was six years old, but she didn't really knew her aunt all that well.

However, as she slowly got up from her chair on shaky legs, tears blurring her vision, her mind drifted back to the day of her aunt's funeral.

**SLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSL SLSLSL**

Her mother had been crying. That was the first thing she could remember, and the one thing that made the biggest impression that day. Her mother crying, sobbing into her father's shoulder like a child. Like Santana used to when she was sad. Not that it happened all that often, really. Santana crying, that is. She was a tough girl.

No child likes seeing their mother cry and Santana was no exception in that department.

As she couldn't bear looking at her mother anymore, her eyes drifted across the church. She just kept looking around, until she noticed the woman sitting right beside her. It was weird that she hadn't noticed her before, by the way. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. She had long, light brown flowing locks that lay in waves down to right below her shoulder blades. She was neatly and classy dressed, and her face reminded her of a much warmer and alive version of a porcelain doll.

As the woman caught her staring, she gave her a soft smile despite the tears obviously stinging in her eyes. And god, that smile. Santana knew already then that she would never forget that smile. It somehow managed to light up the entire atmosphere in the rather dark, musky room. And that was saying something.

After the funeral they all walked out of the church in silence. Outside they all gave their condolences to Auntie Gloria's husband and her kids. As they did, and Santana felt somewhat out of place, she allowed her eyes to drift to the woman who had been sitting beside her in church again. She was standing a little outside of the majority of the crowd, talking to a young man about something.

The woman again caught her staring, and Santana hurried to look away. She didn't really like when people starred at her for too long, so she usually didn't stare at people for a longer amount of time.

There was something different with this woman though. Something Santana couldn't really put her finger on, but she liked her. And that was really saying something, because Santana didn't really like many people. She usually found them either annoying because they talked to her like someone would talk to a defenseless little baby, or they were too repulsive for her to look at.

Yes, she knew it wasn't nice, but it just came naturally to her, and she couldn't help it.

But like she said, that was not the case with this woman. She managed to seem comforting at the same time as she realized Santana was much more than just some dumb little girl who didn't know anything about the world yet.

Just as Santana had come across that thought, the woman disconnected herself from who she was talking to and walked over to her. Kneeling down so she was a little smaller than herself, the woman gave her a smile, and said: "Hey there honey."

Her voice was soft and soothing, almost a little melancholic. It went well with her entire appearance. Santana wasn't exactly a very spiritual kid, but if she should allow herself to become anywhere close to sentimental for just one second; if angels existed – this woman would be the proof.

Santana was actually a bit astounded by the fact that this woman even considered talking to her. She hadn't been lying earlier; she really didn't like it when adults talked down to her. She was much more smarter than they thought.

And for this entire funeral, and Auntie Gloria dying process, Santana hadn't been filled in on anything. There was a car accident, and Auntie Gloria didn't make it. That was it. She hadn't known anything or heard anything else from anyone; the only information coming from her mother.

And don't get her wrong; she loved her mother. There was actually no one in her life she loved as much as she loved her mother. But she was, as the over-protective woman she was, always trying to scold her from the cruelness of the world.

And that was pretty weird, because for whatever nostalgic, local patriotic reason, her father, who was a doctor, had agreed to live in Lima Heights despite being able to afford to live in Quinn's neighborhood. Because it reminded him of his childhood days.

Santana didn't get him, and she most certainly didn't see how her mother for the life of her thought her over-protective ways were going to help any. They were living in Lima Heights Adjacent. People were mean by nature. Santana had adapted to that early; at the age of six. Did certain insults hurt? Well, sure. Was she able to fight back stronger than the people around her? Oh yes.

But her point was; most adult didn't really pay attention to her. Either they saw her as a spoiled brat who hadn't been raised properly. Well, she had to admit that maybe, just maybe her vicious words to anyone and lack of respect was a good contribution to that judgment, but it wasn't because she hadn't been raised properly. She had. She just didn't care that much about how she was raised. She acted in a way that came naturally to her, despite what she'd been told by her parents.

But despite her general tough exterior despite her young age, there definitely was something with this young woman that saw right through that and didn't shame her for showing it. So she simply let her guard down.

"Hi," she said, and gave a weak smile.

The woman smiled a bit wider, revealing a set of white teeth. Typical; her teeth had to be perfect as well. "Don't you have any parents here?" the woman asked, almost casually.

"My mom's over there," Santana said with a weak shrug, pointing to where her mother stood, still giving her condolences to Uncle Richard.

The woman gave a weak nod, and something crossed her features for a moment, before she asked: "So you're Gloria and Richard's niece, huh?"

Thinking for a moment, Santana nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Santana," Santana answered.

"Santana," the woman repeated, as if tasting the name on her tongue for a moment, - "That's a pretty name." She reached out her hand, and Santana took it, - "I'm Elizabeth."

Santana liked this; being spoken to as a real human being with a brain on her own for once. There was a long break between the two, before Elizabeth asked, a little bit out of nowhere: "Do you miss her?"

"Auntie Gloria?"

Elizabeth nodded. Santana shrugged. "I guess," she said, - "I don't feel like I knew her very well, though."

Elizabeth just gave her an understanding look. "I see…"

"I feel bad for Christian and Joseph, though," Santana continued, now a little more at ease with the conversation with this rather complete stranger.

"Your cousins?" Elizabeth asked. Santana nodded in confirmation. Then she suddenly felt a bit bad; even though she was a pretty outspoken and somewhat rude girl, he did have manners. And for whatever reason, right now she felt like using them. And it occurred to her that she hadn't for one second thought of what this woman's story was; why was she even at this funeral in the first place? How did she know Auntie Gloria? Maybe she even was more devastated by this than Santana was?

She had to ask.

"How do you know Auntie Gloria?"

Elizabeth shifted a little, obviously getting a little uncomfortable in her kneeling position. "We worked together," she said with a weak smile.

In that moment something seemed to flicker and shift entirely in Elizabeth's attitude, her entire being. She looked lost for a moment; as if she suddenly disappeared to somewhere far, far away from there.

She didn't look entirely sad, but she most definitely didn't look particularly happy either. If anything, Santana thought she looked thoughtful, a bit melancholic. It was obvious something was troubling the mind of this enchanting, nearly mysterious young woman, and for whatever reason, Santana found herself curious of what it was.

Would it be too rude to ask? Santana really wasn't one to care much about general manners after all, but on the other hand… Oh, forget it, what was the worst that could happen?

"Are you okay?" she asked, a little warily. She tried deliberately not to draw in too much emotion to her words; she didn't want Elizabeth to think she was being clingy, but she also tried to show some sort of concern.

Elizabeth's eyes snapped back towards Santana, and suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she looked like herself again, and more importantly; she was back in the present. "Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled. Was it just Santana's mind playing tricks on her, or did Elizabeth suddenly look a little paler than she did just a moment ago.

She decided to push that thought to the back of her mind.

Elizabeth gave a content smile, before bringing her palms sharply to her own thighs, and slowly getting up, the high heels making her legs a little shaky as she did so.

"Well, I better get going," she said, and gave Santana another one of those beautiful, friendly smiles.

Like in an instant, Elizabeth reached out her hand and stroked the little girl's hair, before bringing her palm down to stroke her cheek. "Goodbye then, Santana," she smiled her voice even warmer and friendlier than it had been earlier that day.

"Bye," Santana said, and gave a genuine smile.

It was the first funeral Santana ever attended. She knew it was probably inappropriate, and she knew she was being insensitive to the people around her, but as she was seated in the backseat of her car, watching her father desperately trying, and failing, to stop her mother's tears from falling further, she got lost in her thoughts and didn't pay much attention to the lost relative.

She knew she would have to deal with this kind of loss and the concern for her family someday, but she figured this moment right here, in this car, after the completely bizarre but wonderful meeting with one of the friendliest and down to earth adults she had ever met, was Santana's moment to release herself from her problems for just a little while.

And for that, she had Elizabeth to thank.

**SL**

As she got into her car, she looked back on the memory with a sad smile. She sat in her car for about fifteen minutes, crying, and desperately trying to release herself from her pain.

It was impossible. Sure, the memory of Elizabeth always made her mood just a little lighter, but that was just it; Elizabeth was gone too.

Santana knew that. Santana also knew that Elizabeth was Elizabeth Hummel, Kurt Hummel's mother. Once she had found out, she had immediately started being a little nicer to Kurt.

Realizing she wouldn't be able to drive, she decided to call her girlfriend and ask her to come over so that she could drive her. After a long explanation about where she was and what had happened, Brittany finally decided to leave home, and head for where she was.

Oh yes, Brittany did have a driver's license. She was a good driver; she just had a hard time remembering where she was heading, so Santana got two calls asking her about the directions, before her ridiculously cute white and pink car showed up outside the house of Santana's Abuelita.

Getting out of the car immediately, Brittany pulled Santana into a long, warm hug. She didn't say much, but after quite a long while, she whispered: "This doesn't mean anything, San. Who knows? Maybe your grandmother has started forgetting?"

Santana pulled away and took a look at her girlfriend. "What do you mean?" she asked incredulously.

Brittany rolled her eyes a bit, silently pointing out Santana's silliness for not knowing what she meant. "When old people get even older, they start forgetting everything. Maybe she forgot who you were? Maybe she suddenly forgot that you have been the same person all along, and didn't understand that just because you're Lebanese, doesn't mean you aren't still Santana."

Santana was silent for a moment, before her face cracked into a giggle. It was probably one of her first real laughs in a long time.

And as she sat down in Brittany's car and headed for the blonde's house, the heavy feeling in her stomach had already started to fade.

She had finally found some new sense of release in her hard times. She had found Brittany. And she wasn't going away anytime soon.

**A/N: Okay, I know this chapter kind of sucked, but like I said, I am still not entirely back in writing business or whatever you wanna call it, so that's what you get for now! Hope you didn't suffer too ****much. ****Oh! And in case you didn't know, English isn't my mother tongue, so that doesn't exactly do wonders for my writing either.**


	3. Finn Hudson

**A/N: Okay, so I figured it would be a bit unrealistic if every single Glee member met Kurt's mom and she had the biggest impact ever on them, so in this chapter, the main character doesn't meet her physically, but he still finds some peace within himself by reflecting over her in some ways.**

**Also there is lots of Burt in this chapter, and we like that because Burt is awesome. So yeah, we all agree on that? Good.**

**Anyway, here comes the Finn chapter! It became very long! The chapters will differ greatly in length. Hope you'll like it, although I bet you won't. I am not really happy with it, seeing as I couldn't keep up with the original idea of this fic completely in this chapter, and it seems a little shallow and out-of-nowhere. But yeah, I'm not that good of a writer, so we'll just leave it at that.**

**Try to enjoy, at least!**

**Finn Hudson**

How had it all come to this? He was Finn Hudson, for Grilled Cheesus' sake. He was the one who had it all; the girls, the popularity. Hell, even though he had joined Glee Club and stuck with it, he had still managed to keep up his reputation.

But he wasn't as stupid as people tended to think. He knew reputation wasn't everything.

But why the hell did this entire process have to suck so hard? This entire, figuring out who you are business. His life was a mess.

How stupid had he been? He should have known he wouldn't have gotten into The Actor's Studio… At least he shouldn't have been so over-confident about it. Could he never win something this year?

Okay, so that was unfair, he had to admit that. He had won a lot this year; he had kept all of his friends, been a quite respectable companion and team mate towards the Glee Club, and a quite good leader, if he dared say so himself. He had even managed making everything that was wrong right again with his best friend, without any of them really commenting much on it. And his friends had been every bit as loyal to him in return.

And he had kept Rachel. Rachel Berry, one of the most talented, exciting, beautiful people on this very planet. At least that was what she was to Finn.

And now he was thinking about leaving her? Was he fucking insane? One of the greatest… Scratch that; the greatest accomplishment he had ever made in his life. Was he seriously going to let her slip through his fingers?

Yes, he figured. That was exactly what he was going to do. This was most definitely the hardest decision of his life… And he who once had thought that choosing between Glee and football had been hard. Piece of freaking cake compared to this.

That was, he had made his decision. He was going to let her go. He refused to say break up with her, even though that, strictly spoken, was exactly what he was going to do.

He didn't have to wonder how she would take it, because he already now knew it was not going to be pretty. He preferred not thinking about it, actually.

Yes, he knew most people would see his methods rather than the decision in itself as nothing short of completely cruel. He knew he would be faced with a lot of judgment and complaints from his friends once he informed them on exactly what was going to have gone down when they were located at the train station, ready to send Rachel on her way.

He had known it for long, really. Ever since he got his New York letter and found out that he didn't get in, despite his enormous confidence about it. Already from the moment he got the result, he knew what he had to do.

It had only topped it off when Rachel decided to hold back a year, to help him and Kurt with their applications.

Whoever said Rachel was nothing but a selfish over-achiever should really reconsider their way of thinking, keeping that in mind.

His mind was suddenly filled with regret for everything he had done to Rachel. Sure, she hadn't been the perfect girlfriend, what with making out with Puck behind his back and solely focus on her own needs for the most part of their senior year, when it came to career choices for the both of them. But Finn hadn't exactly been boyfriend of the decade either. He was well aware of that.

When had he ever solely complimented her without saying something negative in the same sentence?

He deeply regretted that now. But what did his regrets matter? They came way too late.

And why the hell had he sat there complaining about not having anything that meant something in his life right in front of her and Kurt?

He wasn't worth it, he decided. Rachel was way too good for him.

Letting out yet another frustrated sigh, he sunk down in the chair nearby. His father's chair, to be exact. He had found himself sitting in that chair quite a lot lately. He knew it was his subconscious trying to tell him something, that he was doing the right thing, maybe?

Then why did it feel so fucking wrong?

He dragged his hand across his face, and then caught glance of a picture that was located on the bookshelf right above him. He didn't even know why his eyes flickered over there, but in hindsight, he was kind of glad they did.

It was a picture of Burt and Kurt's mother. His biological mother, Elizabeth. Burt had asked Carole if it was okay to still have it on the shelf. Because it meant so much to Kurt, he'd said, but Finn knew Burt well enough to know that it still meant the world to him as well. And Carole had agreed in a heartbeat. Like Kurt had so significantly pointed out from literally the very first day, she had a dead spouse too. She knew what it was like. She understood. Finn had to smile a bit despite himself at this. His mom and Burt was really a good match, and every sense of hesitance on his own part was now long last gone.

It made sense with the picture as well; Finn already had the picture of himself and his dad in the very living room, and Carole had some picture of her and his father in the hallway.

He looked back up at the picture of Burt and Elizabeth. He hadn't really thought much about the picture, or taken any time to notice it before. But he wasn't really the type of person to reflect over random pictures either.

Almost on autopilot he got up from his chair, and took the picture down from the top of the shelf. He was probably the only person in this house who could do that without having a chair to stand on.

The picture had gone a bit dusty, so he clumsily wiped dust away from it, only to have it fall right from his hands. Perfect. He couldn't even hold a damn object in his hands without messing everything up.

Probably startled by the noise, Finn could hear the firm steps from Burt Hummel approaching the living room. _Shit_. He quickly picked up the picture to make sure he didn't actually break anything. Breathing a sigh of relief, he realized he didn't.

"Everything okay, Finn?" Burt asked.

There were an awful lot of answers to that particular question. 'No' was consistent in pretty much all of them. He was far from okay. He was a total mess, actually.

Burt took a few steps closer, until he stood beside his stepson. Not really knowing what to say, he vaguely gestured to the picture in the teen's hands. "Kurt's mother," he said, a somewhat gruff tone in his voice, as he pointed to the woman in the picture.

Finn nodded. "I know." He gave a weak smile.

Burt gave Finn a look, as if he wanted him to answer to his question, and Finn knew Burt well enough now to know that he'd better do as the man said. "It's just…," he hesitated, dragging his hand, once again, across his face, - "Future plans and… Stuff…"

Burt nodded hesitantly. "You still planning on joining the army?" he asked, rather bluntly.

The teen nodded carefully. "Yeah," he replied.

Letting out a somewhat defeated sigh, the older man said: "You know… This is your life, Finn… Your mother and I, we…" he hesitated, as if conscientiously considering how to put his words, - "We can't really control whatever decisions you make from now on."

Finn frowned lightly. He wasn't really prepared for that kind of acceptance or lack of judgment. He had at least expected some kind of an advice, or an exhortation of some kind, with an undertone that practically begged him not to go.

"Are you serious?" was all he could ask.

Another sigh escaped the older of the two, before he gave a weak nod. "It's your life, son," he insisted, - "And though I'm not happy about it, and neither is your mother, you have my blessing."

Finn looked at him for quite a while, before he let his eyes flicker back to the still, for whatever reason, hadn't left his hands. There was just something about it that caught his eye, and in an almost hypnotizing way kept him from putting it back on his shelf. It sounded completely ridiculous, but it was as if he starred at it long enough, it would give him some answers. If he only could find out what he was looking for.

"What about…?" Burt interrupted, somewhat awkwardly, before he hesitantly fulfilled his sentence: "What about Rachel? You gonna… You gonna keep in touch, or…?"

Pressing his eyes shut to keep the all too fast approaching tears at bay, Finn could just shake his head in disbelief. Taking a few seconds to recompose himself, he looked up, and took a shaky breath before stating as calmly as he could: "Yeah… But I don't think we should stay together…"

As he had said that, really said the words aloud, it all became so awfully much realer. This was really happening: In only a few days, the somewhat obnoxiously sweet pairing that was Finn and Rachel as a couple would be no more.

Why would he even do this? They had stayed together the whole year, planned on getting married even… Was that all in vain? Didn't it mean anything? Finn understood that was what it looked like to other people.

But it was so much more complicated than they'd ever know. So he had made up his mind. This was happening, he was doing this. For Rachel's sake, however messed up that sounded.

He didn't even realize tears had started to fall freely from his eyes until Burt ever so carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly, Finn found himself falling into the warm, protective embrace of a man who had now, slowly but surely, become the father he had never thought he would have.

And he allowed himself to cry. He was giving up his girlfriend, he had the right to cry, right?

"It's okay, son," Burt just said, as Finn just kept on crying.

He didn't know how many minutes had passed when he finally calmed down. It could have been two, it could have been fifteen. It didn't matter. The awful existence that was reality was still the same.

He only knew he was still standing in Burt Hummel's arms, like a helpless child, and that he was still clutching the picture in his hands as if his entire life depended on it.

Slowly he let go of the other man, but he was still holding onto the picture. A silence occurred between the two men, before Finn stated, almost lamely as he walked over to the chair, sitting down: "You must think I'm a total coward now, huh?"

Sighing Burt walked over to the couch and took a seat. "No," he said, looking at the boy so persistently Finn had no choice but to look back at him, - "No, Finn, I don't think you're a coward."

Finn could just look at the older man as if he was crazy. Burt gave him a look as if to say he was serious.

"I don't Finn," he insisted, hesitating for a moment, before saying: "I need to ask you a question, though, that alright?"

Finn could only nod, as he tried to keep the tears at bay. One break-down a day was more than enough, and definitely more than what he was comfortable with.

"Is it because you think she's too good for you?"

Usually, that would have been, especially for Finn, a way too deep and somehow also a little too personal (at least for his liking) question, that he without a doubt would have needed at least ten hours and a bowl of mac and cheese to think about, but as of right now, he knew the answer perfectly well.

Sighing in a defeated manner (he tended to do that a lot today, didn't he?), he could only give a short nod. It was the best he could do. He had a fear that if he did any drastic movement, the thoughts would keep flowing back to him as if on autopilot and he would start crying like a girl again.

Burt got it though, or so it seemed, because he sighed as well and folded his hands in front of him as he leaned forward just a bit, again trying to get his stepson's attention.

"I see…," he said hesitantly. There was a long break between the two, before the older man said what Finn had in no way whatsoever, expected him to say: "You're wrong about that, you know?"

He said it so matter-of-factly, so very determined, but still so casually, that Finn had no choice but to believe him. He wasn't quite sure if he was even capable of believing the older man, though, but he still at least, for the first time that day, made an effort to see things in a somewhat lighter perspective.

"No?"

He didn't really know what else to say. He guessed he needed to hear that he hadn't been a totally useless boyfriend to her for the past year.

The older man just shook his head. "No," he said a little louder, and as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, - "Look kid, I've seen you with her, you know. Plenty of times. You're good for her."

He gave Finn a reassuring nod that only could mean that he truly believed what he was saying. But did it really change much?

Even if that was the case, that Finn wasn't the crappy boyfriend he thought he was, did it change anything? Finn wasn't going to college in New York. Rachel was. That was the reality of the situation. Rachel had told him in New York that no matter what happened with them, her dreams would come first.

She had also, back in sophomore year, blatantly told him that her dreams were bigger than him. And she had been right. They were. Frankly, no matter what people said, no one had bigger dreams than Rachel Berry. Of course, it was a matter of taste if she worked hard enough or deserved the success that seemed to just be automatically handed to her out of nowhere, but she wanted it the most. She had never lied about that, and she had never been wrong about it either. And her dreams were the biggest.

His mind suddenly drifted to something Puck had told him back in disco week: "Make your dream as big as you are."

Finn was pretty sure his best friend had been talking about more than Finn's ridiculous height, but no matter what Puck had been talking about, Finn couldn't bring himself to make his dreams bigger than himself, no matter what context you put everything in.

And he most certainly couldn't make them as big as Rachel's. Or as big as Rachel in general, for that matter.

He sighed, letting his eyes drift to the picture again. It somehow still hadn't left his hand. That was when he realized that Burt was also looking at the picture, seeming pretty much lost in it for a few seconds.

"Do you miss her?" Finn asked, not really thinking. Of course he knew Burt missed her, but something made him want to ask either way.

Burt could just nod. "Every day," he confessed.

Finn gave a short nod in return, considering whether or not it would be appropriate to ask further questions. Don't get him wrong, it wasn't like he felt like he had to keep up some sort of a professional barrier around Burt or anything, but having a diseased wife would have been a sore spot for anyone, including the tough family man that could take on anything the world threw his way.

Still, he figured he was well behind the days of not considering himself family of the Hummels, so he decided it wouldn't be too bad if he asked: "What was she like?"

Burt gave a short chuckle, and to be honest, that was the last reaction Finn had expected. At the very least he'd expected a mournful or at least thoughtful expression. Anything but a chuckle.

"You're laughing," he said bluntly. It wasn't a question, it wasn't to ask if he had gone crazy. It was just the very pure reality of the situation.

Burt just nodded, a little bit more solemnly now. "I am," he said, and the tone in his voice was a bit sadder now, for whatever reason. Finn guessed it made sense; his mother was never a big smiling rainbow when she was talking about his father either. Sure, she would smile, but it was always a teary one.

"Why?" Finn asked, feeling almost like a curious, annoying little kid. But for God's sake, maybe that was exactly what he was. Hell, he was only eighteen years old, and yes technically, that made him an adult, but he still felt like there was so much in this world that he had no clue about.

Now he surely got what Puck meant about being scared of going off to California. For a brief second, Finn found himself wondering what he was going to do with the money he got from Rick through that bet, seeing as there was no wedding to come… God, that killed him. Still, he gave a crooked smile, he decided to split them between him and Puck, because the idiot of a best friend of his had given away all his money to his screwed up father.

Damn, why did his mind have to drift so much? For the first time in his life, he actually found himself thinking about the essence of himself joining the army, and it actually made him a bit… If not nervous, a little uneasy.

"Because…," Burt interrupted his tray of thoughts, - "Because I only have one good, accurate description of that woman."

Finn frowned ever so slightly. "What?" he asked.

Letting out a heavy sigh, the old man answered: "She was way too good for _me_."

Finn let his jaw fall for a second, before his eyes ever again drifted to the picture. So that was it, then? Still, Finn didn't really understand what that had to do with anything.

"I don't get it," he admitted, and the elder of the two gave him a comforting smile, - "What does that have to do with me?"

Burt shrugged, before stating: "You're claiming Rachel is too good for you, right?"

Finn figured this would have some weird kind of logical explanation somehow. Burt was good at those. Seeing as Burt was asking so rhetorically, he could only reconfirm his statement from earlier, and nod.

"Right…," Burt said, kind of thinking about how to put his words, or so it seemed, - "And that, son, is exactly how I felt about Kurt's mother."

Finn gave a frown. "Hell," Burt continued, with that same dry chuckle from earlier, - "It's how I feel about _your _mother as well…"

Finn gave a crooked smile at that, before he figured he should say something. Anything, really, because saying someone is too good for you isn't exactly a statement that doesn't need arguments on the contrary.

"You're wrong, though," Finn said, and he truly meant it. Hell, But Hummel had to be the dad of the decade. Finn might not have the best judgment when it comes to evaluating fatherhood, seeing as he never really had one himself, but even he knew that.

Burt just chuckled again. "Well, so said Elizabeth," he said, before he gave Finn that fatherly-look Finn had unknowingly been missing his whole life. "Anyway, what I'm saying is that Rachel isn't too good for you… But maybe she is meant for different things than you."

Finn nodded vaguely. He was aware of that. Too much aware, so to speak, but usually he had thought that Rachel was meant for _better _things than him. Burt had only said "different things", and that calmed Finn down a little. Maybe he was right. Or at least Finn could pretend like he was.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't let her go, Finn," Burt said, looking down at the picture that still was in Finn's hands, - "But I want you to think about the reasons why you are doing it."

And right in that moment, something finally made sense in Finn's head. The sense he had been looking for through four years of high school was finally there. He had to do this, or at least he had to give it a try. He couldn't be the one holding Rachel back. He was sure he was meant for something great. He was his father's son after all. But Rachel was meant for other great things. And he had to let her fly free, and let her pursue her dreams.

If anyone was to ever think this was easy for him, or that this was some easy, selfish decision, they were plain wrong, but Finn wouldn't bother arguing with them. They could believe what they wanted, because the truth was, that now he had made up his mind, and he was going to do the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do in his life, although it would be best for both of them.

As he rose up from the chair to put the picture up on the shelf, Burt asked him: "Did you ever meet her?" He was obviously talking about Kurt's mother.

"No," Finn shook his head, giving a small smile, - "No, but I wish I did…"


	4. Tina Cohen-Chang

**A/N: Here comes the next chapter, guys! This chapter focuses on Tina, which is a character I have only written so much of, but despite the fact is still one of my favorite characters. I was thinking about having her storyline taking place during Props, but then I have another storyline planned around that episode (guess which), so I placed this around Wheels instead. Hope I did her justice. I can relate very much to 'my Tina' here, so…**

**This chapter is very much based on one of my own experiences from my childhood, with my mom.**

**I don't know much about elementary schools in the states, because I am not from there myself, so I will just make a couple of assumptions here and there if I can't find any answers through the minimal research I'm doing (yes, this is very much a professionally written fic, thank you very much… not).**

**Did you watch the new episodes, by the way? I loved all of them. I know I probably have some readers who think Glee is headed in the wrong direction right now, but I think this is going the right way. I really enjoy this season so far, and the first three episodes had a lot of heart. Marley and Jake are super adorable! And I am hoping for more Tina this season, though…**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

If there was anything Tina Cohen Chang was good at, it was keeping secrets. Hell, her entire being could to some look like a secret. No one really quite knew what was going through her head, mainly because she never worded any of it. Everything about her was like a big, huge, but not really important secret.

It had always kind of been that way, and she had always liked it that way as well. It meant her life was hers to deal with and people would leave her alone. She didn't really like people all that much. It wasn't that they were necessarily mean to her to go away. But whenever she was in the presence of people, they usually wanted her to change.

They never said so, of course. Most of them were adults. They would never actually say anything like that to a child, but she wasn't stupid. She knew how they were thinking.

Keeping secrets had never caused her any trouble before now, though. She had usually gotten away with keeping secrets pretty safely. It had, as a matter of fact, always served to _keep her out of _trouble. And she liked that. She liked being out of trouble. She liked not having to rely or depend on anyone but herself. She was fine shutting people out…

Until Artie Abrams came along. She didn't really know what it was about him that made him so special to her. He was just her type, and people could laugh all they wanted. But he was. She had always fallen for the guys normal people didn't notice, let alone fell for.

Because yes, she'd had crushes in her life before. Hell, she was still a girl. But this time it was, no matter how cliché that might have sounded, for whatever reason, different. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was in high school now, and that she was starting to really, truly figure out who she was, but she, for the first time in a long while, suddenly felt like opening herself up completely to someone. To this boy, to be specific.

He opened up to her about his accident, after all. She bet he hadn't done that easily to many people. The least she could owe him was the truth.

And so she did, that day in November. And it all went straight to hell.

He had basically stated that everything he was so sure they had in common was now completely gone, and that comment hurt her more than it probably should. Tina wasn't one to let her feelings show easily. Sure, she did a lot of crying in public, but she hardly ever really opened up verbally about her emotions.

She had opened herself up to Artie, but he had closed her out again. He had said that he would never push people away, but that was exactly what he had done just now.

They had something really important in common. They still had. She knew that. If anything, they had amazing chemistry, and they had fun together. Was her one stupid lie about her stutter worth losing all that? She was pretty sure it wasn't.

Artie apparently wasn't all that convinced.

So she cried. As she usually did. She sat in her room and cried. It wasn't really a big deal. It wasn't like one of those horribly cliché romantic movies, that she generally could like, but only in minimal doses at a time.

She was just crying. That was that. It was her way of expressing herself. She didn't need a diary or music or anything to put words to her thoughts. At least not at times like these, when she was in serious distress. She just needed to cry. Let it out.

She didn't know if she cried because she was in love with Artie and he had shot her down brutally. Of course, generally speaking, that would seem like a big part of why she was so upset, but it really wasn't just that.

She was upset because for once in her life she had opened up to someone, and they had just shut her down again before she could do it herself.

She could hardly remember the last time she had opened up to anyone about anything.

Or yes. She could.

**TCCTCCTCC**

She had been very little. Seven years, as far as she could remember. One of the so-called 'mean boys' from her class had been picking on her. As she looked back, she couldn't even remember what about, but she had been fairly upset. And she had been crying. Because that was what she did. She guessed she should be somewhat ashamed or embarrassed about that, but she wasn't. It didn't mean she was weak. It just meant she had a heart.

True artists knew how to express their emotions. She was pretty sure it would come in handy someday.

Oh yes, she had dreams bigger than Lima, Ohio. Who in their right mind hadn't?

So she had been standing outside the school, in the parking lot, and as if her entire day wasn't bad enough, her mom couldn't pick her up today, meaning she'd had to walk home by herself. One mile and a half. Oh, and did she forget to mention? It was raining.

Usually she liked the rain, but that was only when she was seated in her room and could just stare and listen to it. Or when she was outside with an umbrella, or even clothes suited for less than nice weather.

This was not one of those days. It was raining, but it hadn't that morning. The sun had been shining and it had been warm. Everyone had expected it to stay that way, but of course that had to fool them. So she was in a skirt, a t-shirt and a thin jacket and she had to walk.

She was sure she was gonna get a cold. That was okay. Meant she wouldn't have to go to school tomorrow. But still, the walk would be less than satisfactory.

She found herself wondering if this was even safe. Sending your seven-year-old home all by herself in the rain… Who else walked alone in the rain? No one, that was who. Except for like, one or two of those scary men whose vans she should never get into and candy she should never eat.

Normal kids in her position would just ask a friend if they could get a ride home, but she was too shy for that. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, but she wasn't really close to any of them. She got along with them during the school day but no one ever invited her home with them after or anything like that.

She was okay with it, most of the time. She was the one who had pushed them away in the first place, after all. She didn't really know what it was, she just didn't really get along with a lot of people the way it seemed to come naturally to others.

But other times… Times like these… She just felt kind of alone… And just a little bit lonely.

Especially since she had to walk home in the rain.

Just right then Kurt Hummel came approaching. He all but ran across the parking lot, his umbrella high in the air, careful not to let the rain damage his hair. He stopped midways through the lot and Tina realized he had seen her. What could he want?

Kurt Hummel was one year older than her, and he had the nicest clothes she had ever seen. Tina had been invited to his birthday party because they had been walking home from school together sometimes (in a better weather than this of course), but she hadn't really spoken to him all that much. That being said, Tina hadn't really spoken to anyone that much.

But now he was headed towards her, and for once, she didn't mind. "Hey Tina," he said, and his voice sounded a bit concerned. He was within just a couple of feet's distance now. "Won't your mother be picking you up soon?"

Tina could only shake her head vaguely. "No, I have to walk," she said, and that was when it occurred to her that she had been standing out on the parking lot for quite a while, not doing anything but standing there. She couldn't really comprehend why she had done that.

"In this weather?" Kurt asked, and Tina nodded weakly, - "What about your clothes?"

Tina couldn't suppress a giggle. Of course Kurt would care about his clothes before anything else. Kurt smiled at her. "Oh well…," he said quietly, before the sentence she had secretly been hoping for without really realizing it escaped him: "My mom's picking me up. Would you like a ride?"

Tina knew that a beaming smile she rarely showed appeared on her features at that comment. "Yes, please," she said, and her smile widened even further as Kurt reached out his umbrella to make room for them both under it.

They walked towards a red vehicle that stood at the other end of the parking lot. As they approached it, the door opened and tall, slim woman stepped out. She had to be Kurt's mother.

"Kids, get in the car! It's pouring!" she yelled, but there was a laugh to her voice.

"Mom, don't step out of the car! You're gonna mess up your hair!" Kurt yelled, and his mother laughed.

As they approached the car, Kurt stated casually: "This is Tina. She has no one to drive her home."

Kurt's mom's eyes widened. "Baby, you're soaking wet!" she exclaimed, as she grabbed a hold on her face. Tina wasn't really used to that kind of physical contact from strangers, but for whatever reason, she figured she didn't mind right now.

Kurt's mom gave a heavy sigh and practically shoved Tina into the backseat of the car. "Is anybody home at your place?"

Tina just shook her head and Kurt's mom had to look in the rearview mirror to see her response. "Oh well…," she said, - "You could come home with us, if you like? Until your parents get home from work?"

Tina liked that idea. It wasn't often she got invited by friends to their places. They usually just invited each other, and Tina figured it was because they found her boring.

"Can't she, Kurt?" Kurt's mom asked her son, and to Tina's delight, Kurt nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes!" he squealed, grabbing Tina's hands all of a sudden,- "We can play dress-up! I have so many different costumes we won't even have time to try them all on!"

Tina gave a short laugh. She didn't really know Kurt all that well, but she figured she liked him more and more. He was actually one of the only people her age she'd met in her life, that weren't in her family, who actually seemed to really enjoy her company.

"I'd like that," said Tina, and she tried to sound polite. To be honest, Tina didn't really think all that often about how she came off to the adults she met. She didn't usually care if they thought she was being impolite. She didn't need anyone's approval, and she had been scolded more than once by her parents because she hadn't been "accommodating" (whatever that meant) enough towards the adults they'd wanted her to meet.

But with Kurt's mom it was different. For once in her lifetime, she wanted this woman to like her. She was sweet and she seemed very loving. And she didn't treat her as if she couldn't think for herself.

She wanted this woman to like her in return.

"Great!" she said, and gave them both a beaming smile in the rearview mirror. She looked a little bit like Kurt, actually. It was probably apparent to the entire town whose son he was. "Then that's settled. When are your parents coming home?"

Tina shrugged nervously. "Usually around five," she said. She smiled a bit at the thought. It was twelve-fifteen now, which meant she would have at least five hours until her parents came and picked her up.

"Oh good," Kurt's mom said, - "Then you'll get to have lots of fun together. Do you know their phone numbers?"

"Yes," Tina answered immediately, she wondered if she should give away more information. She wasn't really one for big talks, but she went for it: "I keep a note with their numbers in my notebook in case of emergencies."

Kurt's mom nodded in recognition. "That's good, you'll get to call them when you get home so they know where you are. And if they can't pick you up, either Kurt's dad or I can drive you home. Sounds good?"

Tina smiled. "Yes," she answered. She liked how this woman seemed to have so many thoughts in her head. She didn't really know where she got that from, but she figured Kurt's mom was a lot more reflected than most people she'd met. She seemed to think of everything.

"How long is dad working today?" Kurt asked.

"He'll be home around four, honey," the boy's mom said with a smile.

"Good," Kurt said, and he hesitated before asking: "Mom?"

"Yes?"

Kurt looked a bit uncomfortable now. "Why haven't you been at work lately?"

Something seemed to change in his mother's behavior right then and there. She shifted a bit in her seat, and Tina just knew something wasn't quite right. That was one of Tina's definite privileges. She saw people. Noticed them. That was what she did now. She noticed something within Kurt's mom, and she didn't know what it was, but she knew that she didn't like what she noticed.

She also knew Kurt's mom was contemplating what to say to cover for whatever it was that made her act this way.

"I haven't been feeling that well lately," she said, and while she obviously tried her best to sound casual, Tina knew better. She wasn't stupid. She knew what fine sounded like, and Kurt's mom was anything but fine.

Subtly, Tina looked over to Kurt, and she couldn't be sure, but she thought he was feeling the same way. "Mom?" he asked again, and there was a slight waver to his voice that Tina couldn't remember having heard before.

"Yes, honey?" his mom asked, and her voice didn't sound completely normal either.

"Are you sick again?" asked Kurt, and Tina figured right then and there that there was a lot about this family she didn't know. That made sense too. But one thing she knew, and that was that by 'sick', Kurt wasn't talking about the flu.

His mother gave a light cough, and she obviously still considered how to put her words. "Don't worry about that now, honey," she said firmly, but there was a light waver to her voice, -"I will be fine."

She sounded almost convincing. Almost.

Tina looked over to Kurt to see his reactions to all this, but he now had a somewhat content smile on his features. There was a somewhat lost look in his eyes though, but Tina figured at least she'd be better off not getting too involved in other people's family drama.

They took the rest of the ride back to Kurt's place in a content silence. The atmosphere was a bit lighter now though, for whatever reason.

Kurt and Tina spent the day at Kurt the exact way Kurt had planned; playing dress-up. When Kurt was dressed as The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, and Tina was dressed like Snow White and looked anything but amused by that, Kurt's mom called them upstairs for dinner.

Tina had had a talk with her parents, and to her relief they allowed her to stay at Kurt's until six if it was okay with his parents.

Therefore, Tina was now to be seated at the Hummels dinner table.

Tina was a family's girl, really. She loved her parents dearly, and she knew they loved her. She couldn't have asked for a better family. Nothing compared to her parents. But she had to say the Hummels were definitely second best.

Even though she hadn't really spent a lot of time with Kurt in her life, she was treated by both him and his parents, as a near friend. It felt good. She felt like she could be herself, and dared she even think it? Even open up a little to them, maybe? At least more than she did to normal people. And by open up, she pretty much only meant talk to them.

"So, are you in class with Kurt, or…?" Kurt's father asked. That was pretty weird. Fathers never really talked to her; they usually tended to be shut down and not really friendly. Kurt's dad wasn't really all that different, but he at least talked to her as he would talk to everybody else.

Tina just shook her head as Kurt explained that she was a year younger than him. The rest of the family conversation continued just like that; them speaking in a comfortable kind of company that Tina hadn't really met before outside her own family.

And, go figure, she found herself opening up bit for bit as they ate their dinner. She didn't really know what caused it, but in some ways she felt safe here with the Hummel family. She could just… be, when she was with them. She didn't have to stay quiet or composed like she did when she was at her relatives' places. She didn't have to be on her best behavior.

She could let loose a little; keep her elbows on the table, wipe her face with her hands, and even though she didn't go to that level of insolence herself, she even spotted Kurt speaking with food in his mouth, only receiving a small scolding look from his mother, and not that picky, stern tone she would have gotten had she done that with guests by the table.

Still, she felt like showing them some gratitude through good manners just simply because they were so cool, if that made any sense. So she tried to be on her best behavior.

While Kurt's dad seemed friendlier than most dads she had met, she felt a deeper connection to Kurt's mother. She looked younger than her own mother, but it could just be the fact that she was extremely pretty that made her look that way. She had an open and accommodating nature about her that Tina knew she loved the moment she met her.

Tina still didn't know what she had been so afflicted about when Kurt asked her if she was sick again, or even what "sick" truly meant in this case, but a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her she wasn't in for good news. She shook that thought as soon as it entered her mind.

**TCCTCCTCCTCCTCCTCCTCC**

After dinner, Kurt's mom took it upon herself to drive Tina home, and Burt gave her a concerned look Tina knew adults gave each other sometimes when they didn't want to get verbal in front of their children. She also knew that look meant something was wrong, so she just turned around and slipped on her coat, pretending not to listen to the friendly but slightly supplied tone of Kurt's mother's voice as she said: "I am not that hopeless yet, Burt, I can still drive a car by myself."

She also absolutely didn't notice Burt's sad and all too concerned eyes as he watched them leave. Kurt and Tina were again seated in the backseat of the car, but this time they were much more silent than they had been on their way home from school.

As they reached Tina's house, Kurt's mom gave her the warmest smile Tina had seen in a long while, before calling after her: "Don't be a stranger, Tina."

"I won't!"

**TCCTCCTCCTCC**

Tina entered her home that day with an empty feeling in her stomach, telling her everything was as it should be. An adult had treated her like a regular human being. An adult had noticed her in general. Both those things were too good to be true. So she should be happy, right…?

The empty feeling in her stomach told her she had been lying when she'd said she wouldn't be a stranger.

She shook that thought as her own mother ran towards her with open arms and asked how her day had been. She wouldn't dwell on it any longer.

But she made sure to hug her mom extra tightly before she went to sleep that night.

**TCC**

Tina looked around her room as the memory flushed through her.

No. No way.

She was not giving up on this. She was not letting Artie go. She had her flaws and her mistakes, but for once in her life, she had decided not to hide in the shadows anymore. Artie had his flaws as well; he needed to learn how to see that.

But Tina was not giving up on him.

Life was too short for that kind of attitude.


	5. Mike Chang

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it has been a while. I got sick, got caught up in the presidential election (which is really strange, seeing as I don't even live in the US) and I had some other stuff to work on, but here is finally the next chapter! This is the Mike chapter. I had no idea how difficult he was to write, haha! Don't get me wrong, though; I love him!**

**This chapter begins during The First Time, regarding the West Side Story debacle. There will be a small moment between Kurt and Mike during said part of the chapter, which I personally liked, because I have a thing for rare friendships. And I simply believe that the entire Glee Club is, despite everything, very close friends with one another, so just don't question whether or not that was a little bit out of the blue, okay?**

**The Kurt's mother part of this chapter revolves around the time Kurt is eight years old, not very long before she passes. I have no idea how it is in America, but when a friend of mine's mom got ill with cancer, and we figured she didn't have very many chances of beating it, the class heard about it. I guess the girl's dad told the teacher to tell us, just so we knew. It's pretty common here in Norway, but I don't know if that would occur in the states. Anyway; I pretend like it would here, so just go with it, okay?**

Mike Chang had always had a very close relationship with his family. Out of everyone in this world, his mom and dad had always been the two people who meant the most to him.

And now he was about to throw that away. And the worst thing was; he had never been surer about anything in his life. Too long he had strived to make his parents proud of him, fought for their approval. Those days were now slowly being left behind him.

Of course, the moment he met with his father in the school hallways, the older man confronting him about how he had «made a liar out of both himself and his mother», and how his father practically disowned him right then and there (not physically, but still), he was about to reconsider everything. Was it really worth it? Was this stupid dream of his worth losing his family for?

But as absurd and messed up as it sounded… Yes, it was.

He was thankful he eventually got his mother over on his good side. She had seemed reluctant at first, as she did with pretty much everything. Their family was above the average level of traditional, and let's just say disappointing her husband wasn't Mrs. Chang's favorite activity. Therefore, it had meant more than the word to him when she showed up as he was practicing his Riff audition for West Side Story.

He was kind of stunned at her revelation about her past, which, in truth, was quite similar to his own present struggles. Not that the entire dancing part was the shocking part; he had to have gotten it from somewhere, and seeing as all his father had to brag about artistically was his failed tennis career, he assumed he hadn't gotten it from him.

But he was surprised that she decided to come forward about it; their family wasn't exactly the most open and honest of family. There were a lot of secrets kept. Nothing major, but feelings were rarely discussed within their home's four walls. He didn't know if he liked it or not. He guessed he had just gotten used to it.

**MCMCMCMCMCMCMCMC**

West Side Story went as smoothly as a dream. It was an amazing feeling; having his moment in the sun. Mike was somewhat different from the other kids in Glee Club, and he had always been aware of it: he was there mainly for his true passion. Performing. He knew he didn't have the best singing voice in the universe (the duets competition from junior year had portrayed that rather flawlessly), but with practice his voice became, if he dared say it himself, at least a bit more than just bearable.

He met up with Kurt during the intermission. He had seen his mom in the audience, and she had looked so proud. "Wow…," he breathed, as he took a sip of his water bottle.

Kurt stood in a corner, somewhat by himself, glaring at Blaine, who sat by a mirror across the room, fixing his makeup. Mike didn't really want to get into all the drama that the Glee Club came up with, which, let's face it, was quite a lot, but rumor had it Kurt and Blaine were somewhat on the rocks after something that happened the night before. Like he said, Mike didn't want to get into it. it was their business, not anyone else's. He tried to keep his relationship with Tina as "private" as possible, and didn't want people sneaking around in his business.

Kurt suddenly looked over to where he was standing, and he smiled. "You were great out there," he said casually. His voice carried some form of melancholia, but he managed to sport a faint smile.

"Thank you," Mike answered, - "You too."

Kurt gave a chuckle. "Thanks."

There was a long silence that Kurt broke. "So how are things? With your family and all…?"

Mike looked at him, then shrugged. "Dad still refuses to talk to me, but my mom actually came to see me perform today."

It had meant more to him than anyone would ever know. To see her in the audience, smiling, looking like she was proud of him. It wasn't like she hadn't attended any of the competitions before; hell, she had been to every single one of them, but it didn't look like that would be a very likely option this time in regards of his family. He had been wrong, though; she had shown up.

Kurt's smile widened. "That's great, Mike," he said truthfully, - "I hope everything works out for you, with your family."

Mike wished so too, but as of right now, he knew that no matter what, dancing and performing would always be a part of his future, whether his family… Scratch that, whether his father liked it or not. His mom had seemed to come around.

As of right now, he was surprisingly okay with his father's distance, when thinking about how much he would achieve in spite of it. He knew that feeling would slowly fade somewhere throughout next week, when the post-performing rush had laid down a bit, though.

He took a final glance at Kurt, and he noticed something. He didn't really know what it was, but the boy suddenly looked even more melancholic than he had just a few minutes before.

Mike didn't really know why, but he suddenly got the feeling that the reason for Kurt's sudden melancholia had to do with the boy's late mother. Everyone knew that she had passed away due to cancer when Kurt was eight.

Mike had only met her once.

**MCMCMCMC**

He and Kurt had participated in Lima's annual spelling bee the year they turned eight. They were both pretty clever for their ages. Both Mike's parents had been in the audience, and same went for Kurt's parents.

Mike didn't really remember how it had all gone down, but he remembered that he won, while Kurt was a close second. Both pair of parents had congratulated their children on their magnificent achievements.

Mike had noticed that Kurt's mom had a scarf twirled around her head. He knew why, too. They had talked about it in school one day when Kurt wasn't present. His mom was ill, was all they had said, but judging by the way the teacher described the disease, and by the fact that Kurt's mom had no hair now, Mike knew it was cancer. Not just because he was clever, but because his grandfather died the year before due to the same disease.

Mike took a short glance towards Kurt as he was embraced by his parents. Despite the obviously troubled circumstances, the family looked quite happy. Entirely, in fact. It was weird. They looked like any ordinary Christmas card from where Mike stood… Even Mrs. Hummel's obvious condition couldn't distract from that. Maybe because she didn't really look sick. Sure, she evidently had no hair left, and she looked a bit thinner than what was healthy, but the somehow still adventurous look in her eyes and the bright smile on her face said differently. It was enough to fool everyone in the room, Mike was sure of it.

He could vaguely hear Kurt's mom say: "You did great, honey!" in a voice that probably was supposed to be cheery, but that came off a bit too raspy and… Was tired the right word?

A thing that was with his parents was that whenever they were… anywhere… they would never just leave when the particular even was over and done with. They always stayed behind to talk with other people their age. Which was basically the most boring part of any day, ever.

Today though, they ended up chatting up with Kurt's parents. Mike wasn't really paying attention to what they were talking about, at least not until Mrs. Hummel turned to him. "Congratulations, honey," she said, and she smiled so wide it lit up her whole face.

"Thanks, ma'am," Mike said as politely as he could. He knew he was gonna be scolded throughout his entire drive home if he didn't act as decent as possible, and he didn't really want that as of right now.

Mike took a good look at Kurt who clung to his mom's waist. She almost unconsciously rubbed her hand over his hair.

"Smart boy you have there," Burt informed Mike's parents.

Mike's dad gave a proud smile. "He sure is," he said, - "If he keeps going the way he does, Harvard would have an excellent candidate within, say, the next ten years, or what do you think?"

Granted, it was apparent that Mr. Chang was joking, but even Mike knew that there was some seriousness behind his bold statement.

Mrs. Chang rolled her eyes, as if saying: 'Listen to my husband, how he talks.' However, it wasn't like she didn't know better either.

It wasn't that Mike disliked how his father always talked about his future. He enjoyed all the compliments his dad served him with. It was just that he deep down inside knew what he really wanted to do; he didn't know what a doctor or professor or lawyer or whatever it was that his dad wanted him to do with his life did, but he knew that it sounded plain boring to him. It had no life, no spirit, at least not the way his father made it sound.

He wanted to do something of substance with his life; something that meant something more than just what you could touch, taste or see. He wanted to feel something. And yes, he was aware that those were really mature thoughts for a kid his age, but he just knew it: He wanted to become a dancer.

He still remembered the first time he saw Michael Jackson on TV. He was two years old, and it was his Bad video. Mike had been mesmerized, and from that moment on, he just _knew_. But he'd never let his father know.

Mr. Chang's voice broke through his thoughts, but he wasn't talking to or about him anymore. He was talking to the Hummels: "Your son has quite the talent too, didn't he? Wouldn't surprise me if there's another college out there just waiting for someone like him to."

The Hummels exchanged a look, and Kurt's mother just gave a smile. "Maybe," she confirmed, - "But my son is a boy of many talents. Did you guys know he could sing?"

"He is good too!" Mr. Hummel shot in.

Mr. Chang's face changed into something Mike didn't really recognize what was. All he could say was that his face fell. "Singing, huh?" he asked, and his voice had gone a bit drier.

"Yes," Mrs. Hummel said, and for whatever reason, Mike knew she had caught on. She still had a smile pasted on her face, but this time there was a new kind of glimmer in her eyes. Mike wasn't the only one who had noticed the blatant change in his father's behavior, - "He is very talented."

She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know," she said, giving a light shrug, - "I don't think we have any say in any of this, when all is said and done…"

She gave another light stroke to Kurt's hair. "All I can say is that we will let them decide when time comes…" Her face fell for a moment, but the smile was quickly back where it belonged, still not quite as real as it had been before, it seemed. "Won't we, Burt?"

Burt smiled sadly. "We will, honey," he said, before giving the Changs the best smile he could. Then he turned back to his wife. "Shall we, honey?"

Mrs. Hummel gave a nod, as they all started walking out. As they walked by Mike's parents, Mrs. Hummel turned to them. "I think we'd better let our kids follow their dreams before ours, don't you, Mr. Chang?"

Mr. Chang gave a small frown. "Absolutely, Mrs. Hummel," he confirmed.

"Glad to hear it," Mrs. Hummel gave a sly smile, and just then Mike realized how much he really liked her, - "See you around."

**MCMCMCMCMC**

But they didn't. They never saw her around again. Less than three weeks later, Mrs. Hummel passed away. Mike's parents had been talking about it, telling Mike to be extra nice to Kurt now, seeing as this was obviously a hard time. Mike's mother had approached his room, wrapped him in her arms and hugged him tightly for nearly five minutes one day when he was about to go to sleep.

Mike still remembered that time. He remembered the emotions that were in the air; the dull atmosphere. As if something important had been taken away. It was all over Lima. "Poor kid, losing his mom at such a young age. I don't know how well he'll cope without a father."

Mike didn't really want to listen to it.

"Ready for act 2?"

Kurt interrupted Mike's thoughts harshly, causing Mike to jump a little in the air.

"Born ready," Mike smiled.

And Kurt gave that sly smile he sometimes would give, the smile Mike knew he recognize from somewhere, as he said: "Glad to hear it."


	6. Rachel Berry

**A/N: Okay guys, here comes the Rachel chapter! She is a tricky little thing to write, let me tell you. I know I've gone wrong and/or been too harsh with her before. I will try not to let that happen again. This chapter starts somewhere between Choke and Prom-asaurus. Rachel's flashback appears through a dream, because I just thought it seemed in character for Rachel to dream about things that have actually happened, at least when she feels all her dreams for the future are crushed. Maybe she then would dream of the past? I kind of like that thought.**

**There is some homophobia going on in this chapter, if that's a trigger warning. I planned on making the homophobes someone who already is on the show, in canon, but that wouldn't really go over all that well with the storyline. Only people I could imagine would be relevant, and make sense in this situation, would be Quinn's parents, but I don't think they signed their girl up for a singing competition when she was a kid, so I made them OC's.**

**This chapter is very similar to the Mike one, but what can I say? I am not that creative this week.**

**Anyway; here we go!**

Rachel Berry was a high-maintenance girl. She knew that much. She also knew that she was one of the most talented people she had ever met, and the fact that she now had lost all the chances she ever had at life because of a stupid choke, was deeply unfair.

She might have appeared angry to the world, she didn't really know. She didn't even know if anything seemed off or different about her to the rest of the world, but the fact of the matter was that she just felt empty on the inside. She had cried enough tears for a lifetime during the past five days, and to be honest, she was just really tired. It seemed like her heart had just shut down due to exhaustion. She didn't know if she was able to breathe it and move on yet, but maybe, just maybe, in time she would be.

To be honest, despite the total numbness that had taken over her body, she was in a constant possession of mood swings. Sometimes she felt like her entire life was over, like she had no future. Sometimes she even went far enough to believe that she would one day soon just stop dreaming, give up entirely. That meant she would be stuck in Lima for the rest of her life. Maybe do some singing at Breadstix from time to time again. Those thoughts weren't constantly present in her mind, though. Other times she would look in the mirror and say to herself that this was far from over. It had just begun. Mercedes had been right: She had two parents who supported her, and she was lucky to have them as well. They would help her on her way, and she would get to New York, with or without NYADA.

Honestly, she was a mess. She knew people would say it made her a spoiled brat, but this was actually one of the strongest hardships she'd had to face in her life. The biggest disappointment, at the very least. She had been so sure, so determined. She had it in her bag. Hell, she hadn't even been nervous. She was never letting herself getting overly-confident next time.

If there would even be a next time.

She didn't really want to think about it, however difficult it was not to.

At least she still had her boyfriend, but tough luck! He would be gone by summer too. Everyone would be gone and she would be staying right there with the juniors, and Puck and Brittany who wouldn't graduate this year. At least she wasn't there yet. But still… Stuck in Lima. Rachel Barbra Berry, stuck in Lima, Ohio? Something about that just didn't sound right.

With a heavy sigh, she sank back into bed. She guessed that was what you got for having no back-up plan. That was stupid, she realized that now, but it is easy being smart in hindsight. Oh well, guess she would just have to reapply in December or next year sometime. She had brought this on herself, after all.

With yet another defeated sigh, she sank back into bed. Whatever happened to Rachel Berry?

**RBRBRBRB**

She was four years old, and about to participate in a talent competition. That wasn't exactly news. She had participated in three already, in her short little life. She knew she was a good singer. She had always known. People told her, and she was quick to tell herself too. It was just a fact, or so it seemed.

She knew better than to hold her hopes up too high, though. She knew that being no older than four years old, there would be quite a lot of children older than her and not very many children younger. The children she would be competing with would undoubtedly be more… What was it called? Experienced? She was sure that was it. They would be more experienced than her. She didn't really mind. She knew that it wasn't all about winning; her dads had made sure to print that into her young skull from the day she was born. It was about being the best she could be, and she would. You bet she would.

She entered the audience of the competition with her dads, and perhaps she was a lot of things, but she was far from stupid. The way a group of people in the back row were looking at them didn't go unnoticed by her. Her dad, Leroy just gave them a somewhat cynical, yet formal nod, while Hiram just grabbed his arm and whispered that they should just go find their seats.

The people in the back-row (judging by the looks of them, a grandfather, two parents and a girl who looked a little too young for a mother but too old for a sister – probably an aunt or cousin or something), weren't exactly subtle in the expression of their disgust.

"What has this world come to?" said the woman who was obviously someone's mother.

The father shook his head. "Mortifying. And look at that poor little girl, imagine when she gets older…"

In an almost comical unison the family drew a heavy sigh. It wasn't like Rachel's family was unfamiliar with such comments; they were familiar enough with them that they didn't bother giving them a piece of their minds anymore. That just got too tiring in the long run.

The grandfather went next: "I swear to God, this country is promoting sin nowadays…"

"Excuse me?" a voice spoke, a bit louder than the family. Turnings slightly in her seat, Rachel could see a woman, quite young, long brown hair pulled behind in a loose pony tail and neat clothes, who was sitting in the row in front of the family. Beside her was a little boy, just as neatly dressed, and about her age, if she was supposed to guess. "Mind speaking up a little, I don't think the piano man heard you over there," she said, pointing towards the piano in the other end of the hall.

"I beg your pardon?" the grandfather asked in a scandalous voice.

Giving a dry chuckle, the woman subconsciously ran her hand over the little boy, who must have been her son's, hair. "Okay, look," she said, - "I will try to be nice, because this is obviously a bit difficult for you: You were talking about sin… Mind telling me what Jesus said about gay people?"

Scoffing, the father crossed his arms over his chest, stating firmly: "Homosexuality is a sin in the Bible, everyone knows that."

Rachel had to hide her chuckle as the woman obviously resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her fathers had turned around as well now, a couple of amused expressions on their faces.

"I wasn't talking about the Bible, I was talking about Jesus… You know, the guy who walked around telling everybody to love each other? Maybe a bell's ringing somewhere by now?"

"Look," the father said, - "I don't care what they do in the privacy of their own home, that's their business. Alright?"

The woman impeccably cocked one eyebrow, and Rachel could tell she was wondering where the man was going this time. "But flaunting it… In public…"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, because this is getting embarrassing," the woman interrupted, - "_They," _she stated, pointing towards Rachel's dads, - "are here with their daughter. Same way you are. Just show some respect and keep your thickheaded mind to yourself, that's all I'm asking."

And by that she turned her head towards the couple, and shot a threatening, but still somehow polite facial expression towards anyone who dared to give her a questioning look. Then she turned towards Rachel and gave her a warm real smile and a wink.

Rachel wasn't usually one to admire a lot of people; she was usually busy rising above them, but this woman… Well, she really was something special, even she could tell that.

The talent competition went flawlessly, of course. She belted out "Don't Rain on My Parade" as epically as she'd done for the past two years now, and the incredible woman's son had sung "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera. He had a very nice voice, even Rachel had to admit that.

Rachel had won the competition. Kurt had come in second. Although she would be devastated if that had happened to her, he didn't seem all that sad as he accepted his silver trophy and hugged his mother.

After the competition, Hiram walked over to the woman. "Hi," he said, reaching out his hand, - "I'm Hiram Berry, this is my partner Leroy and my daughter Rachel." He gestured to his family, and they all shook hands, as the woman introduced herself as Elizabeth Hummel, and introduced her son as Kurt.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, a big smile on her face, before catching Rachel's eye. "You did great, Rachel!" she exclaimed, before turning to her son. "Didn't she Kurt?"

Kurt nodded and gave a smile. "He's just a bit tired," Elizabeth said.

"You did good too," Rachel admitted to Kurt, - "You obviously haven't…"

"Rachel," Hiram scolded, and Rachel immediately shut up, for once. This wasn't exactly the best time.

"Thanks for what you said in there at the beginning," Leroy told Elizabeth, - " That hasn't really happened all that much before."

Elizabeth just nodded solemnly. "No problem," she said, casting an almost unconscious look to her son. A somewhat melancholic expression graced her beautiful features, before she put on a sly smirk. "Oh well," she said, -"We can be comforted by the idea that in fifty years we'll be looking upon those people like we are looking at the edgy parts of the Civil Rights Movement today."

Hiram and Leroy had to laugh at that. "I suppose you're right," they said.

She gave a light shrug. "I know I am right." Then she sighed. "Well, we'd better get going. Say goodbye, Kurt."

"Bye," Kurt said, with a small wave.

As she was about to leave, she turned to Rachel. "And you," she said firmly, but with a smile on her face, - "Not that I am the best judge or anything, but as far as I can see and hear, you've got something special. Don't lose that along the way."

And by that she was gone. They still saw her around town from time to time, and they attended her funeral when she died. More out of personal gratitude than out of respect.

When they started school, and Kurt and Rachel ended up in the same class, Elizabeth let Hiram and Leroy know that Rachel would always have a friend in Kurt if the bullies at school were too tricky to deal with, and the same way Elizabeth had told Kurt to be nice to Rachel, Hiram and Leroy told Rachel to be nice with Kurt after Elizabeth passed.

A good pact was made that day, and it was all thanks to Elizabeth Hummel.

**RBRBRBRBRBRB**

Rachel woke abruptly. Had she been sleeping? She wasn't all that sure, but she suddenly felt a little lighter at heart. Maybe everything would now be okay?

She knew one thing: Somewhere along her way, she had lost herself. The old Rachel Berry who claimed that the Glee Club wasn't enough for her would never have settled for a life in Lima, Ohio. She'd rather die before that.

So she gave a sigh. She would figure something out. Her life wasn't over. She would just have to take some time, relax, and focus on herself. And then the "her" she knew would eventually return to her.

That much she was sure of.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, guys! Sorry for the long wait! Here comes the Puck chapter. One of my very favorite characters, and I had fun with this, even though it was also hard to write. There are many ways to go with this guy.**

**The beginning of this chapter starts after Props, very specifically; on the bus on their way to Chicago.**

**Childhood part revolves around when they are in second grade, and Puck's sister, according to me, hasn't been born yet. Writing kid!Puck was difficult. I know his inner monologue includes some heavy language you don't really expect from a seven-year-old, but let's just pretend he has picked that up from somewhere. There is one quote from Props that has lingered with me since the episode aired: Puck stating that his father constantly told him he was garbage. I decided to go somewhere with that here.**

**Sit back and enjoy!**

If you asked around Lima what they knew about Noah Puckerman, you would probably get as many different answers as there were people. What you would get very little of, were positive answers. Good-willed ones. Those weren't exactly reserved for him. "Man-whore" would very likely be a common word. You would probably also hear a lot of sympathetic and maybe even admiring words in regards of his mother who had "kept up with him" all this time.

"Screw-up" was yet another word.

And who could really blame them? It wasn't like they were wrong. He had knocked up the queen of the Chastity ball before either of them had turned seventeen years old, and while it takes two to make a baby, lying about protection had been a dick move. Stupid too, come to think of it.

"Stupid." Yeah, that was another word. And they were right. They all were. Hell, he couldn't even seem to graduate high school without special consideration or help. He was still grateful, though. Coach Beiste had turned out to be the only adult to ever care about him in… Forever, it seemed.

The words of Lima, Ohio were spoken in secret, of course. The words were never meant to get out. Or at least, so it seemed.

_Loser, worthless, failure…_

But of course they got out. He knew of them, and while he pretended not to care, he couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that those words were just blatant confirmations on what he had thought about himself throughout his entire life. His father had started it, he had continued with it, and the Lima, Ohio residents had finished it.

In all honesty, he should probably focus on his geography as of right now, but his head was in quite different places. It had been a fucking messed up week. Not only had he taken a beating just the day before (buy a dude with a mullet, of all things, how low could he go?), but he had also broken down in the arms of his football coach, and he didn't even feel remotely embarrassed. Because fuck, after that, he had just felt like four tons he didn't even know he'd been carrying for several years, were lifted from his shoulders.

He knew it sounded kind of depressing, and he also knew just how typical damaged teenager he sounded just by the phrasing of it, but Coach Beiste appeared to be the only adult in his life who had genuinely cared for him. Believed in him enough to grant him a second chance. At least she had been the first in a very long while.

Almost unconsciously, his eyes flickered over to where Kurt was seated, only a few rows behind him. He gave an almost unintentional chuckle at the ridiculousness of it all: He and Kurt had actually been on friendly terms until 5th grade. 5th grade was when Puck's dad left. 5th grade was when everything started to get fucked up. 5th grade was when Noah became Puck, and the rest is history.

But… They ended up on friendly terms again. Kurt was his boy now, after all, and besides, by the law of the bro code, what with Kurt being Finn's brother and all, it was practically Puck's duty to look out for him. Not that he wouldn't do that anyway.

Who'd have known? Noah Badass Puckerman standing up for the gay kid… If he'd told himself that before joining Glee, he would've been utterly laughed at by his sixteen-year-old self. That sounded kinda schizo, but whatever.

He remembered when Kurt's mom died. That was the thing about him; he wasn't the brightest by any means, but he did have a pretty good memory. For better or for worse. He remembered how he had felt as the teacher had broken the news to the class. He remembered that Kurt was absent, and how his mind immediately flickered to how he would have felt if either of his parents was to ever be deprived from him.

Oh, the fucking obscene irony.

They had been eight years old back then.

Puck also remembered Kurt's mom, and in some ways he was grateful he did. Thing was, you see, she just also happened to be one of those rare cases of adults who seemed to give two shits about him.

**NPNPNPNPNP**

It was their last day of school before Christmas. All the 2nd grade teachers had decide they should do something "fun" or "creative" before they separate for the holidays. Not that their teachers were all that creative, by any means; the only sense of adventure they had revolved around a gathering of students and their parents, serving of some weird, random food a probably just as random sample of parents had brought with them, and a few obnoxious kids who had volunteered to "perform" and show off whatever talent they decided they had.

He was not one of those people. Not because he necessarily didn't have talent for anything, but do you even have a talent if no one is there to cheer it on or try to boost it?

His parents sure as hell weren't there tonight, and he hadn't for a second expected them to be either. They were too caught up in their own mess; he had to nag his mother for an hour to even convince her to drive him.

Oh well, now he was here, sitting with Finn and his mother, and it felt sort of nice. Sure, being Jewish and all, Christmas wasn't really "his thing", but Mrs. Hudson was an awesome lady and her meals were better than whatever his parents managed to scramble together.

Yet another great idea of the teachers: Putting all the tables together. Probably some weird attempt at everyone bonding. This, however meant that he, Finn and Mrs. Hudson were seated next to Kurt Hummel's parents.

Puck looked over to them as Kurt sang a song he had never heard of. There was something off with their faces. He didn't even know what they looked like; they sure as hell didn't look unhappy. They looked… Proud. Was that how they looked? Hell if he knew.

Even though the song Kurt sang was lame, it definitely wasn't uncomfortable to listen to, by any means. The boy had a nice voice in that girly kind of way.

Before he knew it, the song was over and the kid was met with applause as outstanding as possible, given the humbled circumstances. The smiles of Kurt's parents had brightened even more now, and Puck found himself with a strange, empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. It pained him that he didn't know what that felt like.

Kurt all but ran into the arms of his mother, who kissed his cheek. Yeah…He still didn't know what that felt like. The woman's gaze averted from her son, and she was looking at him now. He found himself shrinking back in his seat a little. Whenever adults looked at him that way, it usually meant he had done something wrong, or they told him that he had.

Kurt's mom's gaze was different though. It was… soft, or whatever. At least she was still smiling. That didn't happen all that often.

"Hi there," she said, a light tone in her voice, and it occurred to him that maybe he had been the one starring first.

"Hi," he mumbled, but he wasn't really sure if she could even hear him.

The woman chuckled. Not a mocking chuckle, but a friendly one. "What's your name?" she asked.

"That's Noah!" came Kurt's blunt reply.

"Noah…," his mom tasted the word, still keeping that friendly look in her eyes. "Nice name."

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Lots of clever kids here, don't you think?" she asked him, and that was really weird, because since when did adults just randomly start conversations with him?

He could just nod. Sure there were. Not that he liked most of them. Kurt's mom nodded in return, as she took a sip of her coffee. Putting it down, she asked him: "And how about you, Noah?" she asked, - "Don't you have anything you're good at?"

Noah shrugged, and for whatever reason, he looked down. "Nah," he said, - "I'm not good at anything."

Kurt's mom gave a somewhat surprised chuckle. "Not good at anything?" she asked, - "Honey, who told you that?"

"My dad," he said, before he could stop himself. _Shit_. He prayed silently that Kurt's mom didn't hear that, because if that news came out anywhere, he would be in for a serious hard time.

But Kurt's mom had heard. Her face had fallen slightly, but there was still that kind look in her eyes. A silence settled between them, and it seemed to last for an eternity, before Kurt's mom took a deep breath and looked at him, with a new kind of determination in her eyes: "Well, Noah," she said, - "Don't let anyone, not even your dad, tell you that you aren't good enough. No kid deserves to hear that."

Noah looked up now, really taking in what she said, and he found himself smiling at her words. Maybe she was right?

When his dad picked him up that evening, he found himself in his truck, thinking about what Kurt's mom had told him. _Never let anyone tell you you're not good enough._

Maybe she had been right. maybe he was good for something.

His father's slurred, annoyed voice broke through his thoughts: "Fuck, you and your mom get on my nerves sometimes… Fucking waste of my time, kid."

_Or maybe not._

**NPNPNPNPNPNPNP**

Sighing, he sat back in his seat, not noticing Kurt Hummel walking up to him. "This seat free?" he asked, - "Got tired of sitting alone back there while Blaine and Rachel are doing vocal runs."

Chuckling, Puck removed his backpack from the seat next to him, indicating for Kurt to sit down. "Sure, man," he stated.

There was a silence between them, and Puck for a second wondered if he should just go back to his geography book, when Kurt spoke: "I heard about what happened lately." Puck just looked at him, prompting for Kurt to elaborate. "Your dad coming back, you getting into that fight…"

"The knife wasn't real," Puck made a half-assed attempt to defend himself.

Kurt just nodded. "I know," he said, with a small smile.

There was a long silence again, and as Puck reached for his geography book, Kurt stated: "You're gonna pass that test, you know." Puck looked at him, and yeah, maybe he did look like he'd just swallowed a goldfish, but what can you do? "And even if you don't…," Kurt continued, - "There are worse things in this world than not knowing where it's raining."

Puck had to laugh at that, because yeah, Kurt kinda had a point.

However, as Puck opened his geography book, it all felt kind of hopeless again. But still… What Kurt had said was true, and he found himself appreciating that, however lame that sounded.

Looking over to Kurt, he had to smile a little despite himself. Because once when he still was a kid, this boy's mother had, for just one, short-lived moment, made his messed up everyday life a bit more bearable.

And that mattered more than he would probably ever admit.


End file.
